Owner planning rebirth of Marquee as arts venue

By COLLEEN COSGROVE Business ReporterPublished November 29, 2012 - 6:05pm

A state-of-the-art sound system and room for more than 500 souls to dance the night away doesn’t do anyone any good when the doors are locked and the lights are off.

That is why Victor Syperek, the owner of the former Marquee Club, is dusting off the beloved stage and planning its relaunch as a music and arts venue called the Marquee Ballroom.

“We’re opening as a venue rather than a club, which means that if we don’t have an act of some sort, be it live music, theatre, parties and weddings, then we won’t open,” the Argyle Cobblers Ltd. owner said Wednesday.

“That ends the problem in the last business of this place where we were open on nights when no one was around.”

With fire and food permits in place, the one remaining hurdle to clear before the first drink is poured is the securing of a permanent lounge licence.

Before closing in 2008, the Marquee Club operated under a cabaret licence, which permits the establishment to remain open until 4 a.m. and requires live entertainment be offered at least four days a week.

Attempts were made earlier this year for Syperek to rent the 5,571-square-foot venue to Reflections Cabaret, but the proposal fell flat when the Utility and Review Board approved the request on the condition it closed no later than 2:30 a.m.

Reflections dropped its plans to relocate last December, leaving Syperek with a newly renovated property that has since only reopened for one-off events such as the Halifax Pop Explosion. It has a special occasion liquor licence in place.

An application to convert to a permanent lounge licence will be submitted to the alcohol and gaming division of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations by Friday, said Argyle Cobblers spokeswoman Liane MacAusland.

“The sale of alcohol, as much as we all hate to admit, is a lucrative industry, whereas the rental of properties tends to not be quite as lucrative,” MacAusland said.

Syperek originally had his sights set on opening early next year, but MacAusland said dates are entirely dependent on the approval process and the results of a public hearing.

In the meantime, local music promoter Greg Clark has joined the Argyle Cobblers team and he and Syperek say they have already secured a few promising acts for the new year.

Clark was a co-recipient of the Halifax Pop Explosion’s inaugural scene builder award this year and has been in the music business since the 1980s.

If all goes according to plan, the Marquee Ballroom will open anywhere from two to 10 times per month, if not more, MacAusland said.

“We’d love to see it booked every weekend, but the reality is … I don’t know (Halifax has) the population to support that type of activity at a single venue.”